Living in a Sectional Title Scheme is meant to offer peace of mind: shared responsibility, professional management, and a sense of community. Yet for many owners, the reality can feel very different. Emails go unanswered. Maintenance issues are only addressed once they become urgent. Financial decisions feel unclear, and accountability appears blurred. Over time, frustration builds, and a common question emerges around kitchen tables and WhatsApp groups alike: Is the Managing Agent really doing enough?
According to Pearl Scheltema, CEO of Fitzanne Estates, this question is both valid and important – but often misunderstood.
“Many of the challenges owners experience stem from confusion around roles,” says Scheltema. “When expectations are not aligned with legal responsibilities, disappointment is almost inevitable.”
Understanding the pain points owners experience
Owners are deeply invested in their homes, both emotionally and financially. When communication from the scheme feels poor, it creates anxiety. When decisions appear reactive rather than proactive, confidence in the scheme’s future is shaken. And when no one seems clearly accountable, owners can feel powerless, even though it is their property and their investment at stake.
These frustrations frequently lead owners to scrutinise the Managing Agent, assuming that all operational and strategic responsibility rests with them. In reality, the structure of sectional title governance is more nuanced.
Management vs Oversight: Where the line is drawn
A Managing Agent is appointed to manage the scheme on a day-to-day basis. This includes administrative duties, financial record-keeping, coordinating maintenance, and implementing decisions that have been approved. They operate under a mandate and within the instructions provided.
Oversight, however, does not sit with the Managing Agent. That responsibility lies with the Scheme Executives.
“Scheme Executives are not there to rubber-stamp decisions,” Scheltema explains. “They are elected representatives of the owners, tasked with oversight, direction, and governance.”
Scheme Executives approve budgets, guide long-term maintenance planning, ensure rules are applied fairly, and hold the Managing Agent accountable for performance. Without active Scheme Executives, even the most competent Managing Agent is limited in what they can do.
Why things can feel reactive
When a scheme lacks engaged Scheme Executives, decision-making often becomes crisis-driven. Maintenance is delayed until it becomes urgent. Financial planning focuses on short-term survival rather than long-term sustainability. Communication becomes transactional instead of strategic.
This can create the impression that the Managing Agent is underperforming, when in fact the governance structure itself is incomplete.
“Proactive schemes are almost always led by informed, involved Scheme Executives,” says Scheltema. “They ask questions, review reports, and understand what good management looks like.”
Accountability is a shared responsibility
Accountability in a Sectional Title Schem does not rest on one party alone. Managing Agents are accountable to Scheme Executives. Scheme Executives are accountable to owners. Owners, in turn, play a role by participating in meetings, voting on decisions, and electing capable representatives.
When owners disengage entirely, oversight weakens. When Scheme Executives lack knowledge or confidence, governance suffers. The result is often tension, mistrust, and dissatisfaction—none of which serve the community.
Stepping forward instead of standing back
Many owners reach a point where complaining no longer feels productive. It is often at this stage that they consider becoming Scheme Executives themselves—not out of a desire for control, but from a sense of responsibility.
“Some of the best Scheme Executives are those who simply want things to work better,” Scheltema notes. “They care about transparency, fairness, and the long-term well-being of their scheme.”
Being a trustee does not require specialist expertise at the outset. What it does require is a willingness to learn, engage, and act in the best interests of all owners.
Knowledge as the foundation of good governance
Education plays a critical role in empowering Scheme Executives to fulfil their duties effectively. Understanding legislation, financial principles, and governance best practice allows Scheme Executives to work constructively with Managing Agents rather than against them.
Well-informed Scheme Executives ask better questions, make more confident decisions, and contribute to healthier, more stable schemes.
Building stronger schemes through Sectional Title Scheme Training Courses for Scheme Executives
For owners who are concerned about communication, accountability, and long-term planning, becoming a trustee is one of the most constructive ways to effect change. Enrolling in Sectional Title Training Courses for Scheme Executives provides the knowledge and confidence needed to move from frustration to leadership.
Through Sectional Title Training Courses for Scheme Executives, owners gain clarity on their roles, learn how to provide effective oversight, and understand how to work collaboratively with Managing Agents.
Ultimately, Sectional Title Training Courses for Scheme Executives help build stronger governance, more resilient schemes, and communities where owners once again feel secure in the place they call home.
Contact Fitzanne Estates today to find out about our Sectional Title Training Courses for Scheme Executives.